Author: Kieschnick, John
Title: THE IMPACT OF BUDDHISM ON CHINESE MATERIAL CULTURE.
Description: Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press, 2003. 2nd printing 343 pp. Pb. Buddhisms: A Princeton University Press Series. From the first century, when Buddhism entered China, the foreign religion shaped Chinese philosophy, beliefs, and ritual. At the same time, Buddhism had a profound effect on the material world of the Chinese. This wide-ranging study shows that Buddhism brought with it a vast array of objects big and small--relics treasured as parts of the body of the Buddha, prayer beads, and monastic clothing--as well as new ideas about what objects could do and how they should be treated. Kieschnick argues that even some everyday objects not ordinarily associated with Buddhism--bridges, tea, and the chair--on closer inspection turn out to have been intimately tied to Buddhist ideas and practices. Long after Buddhism ceased to be a major force in India, it continued to influence the development of material culture in China, as it does to the present day. near fine condition

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